ESICM Talk

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to an infection. Despite progress in the understanding of sepsis pathophysiology, no specific treatment has proven successful.  The precision therapy, a greater understanding of the heterogeneity of sepsis is needed.

Recent approaches to measuring sepsis heterogeneity used unsupervised computational methods on clinical, biomarker, or gene expression data from observational studies or clinical trial datasets. At present, more than 100 sepsis subtypes are proposed, without awareness of overlap (or clinical implications). It is unknown whether each new subtype strategy is an added value for the patient.

To address this knowledge gap, a study was conducted aiming to determine the concordance between different sub-type labels, outcomes, and biologic pathways of critically ill sepsis patients classified by previously proposed sepsis subtyping methods. Listen to the podcast and learn more about the methodology and findings of this study.

VA-ECMO outcome scores have been previously developed and used extensively for risk adjustment, patient prognostication, and quality control across time and centres. The limitation of such scores is the derivation by using traditional statistical methods which are not capable of covering the complexity of ECMO outcomes. The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Member Centres have developed a study where they aimed to leverage a large international patient cohort to develop and validate an AI-driven tool for predicting in-hospital mortality of VA-ECMO. The tool was derived entirely from pre-ECMO variables, allowing for mortality prediction immediately after ECMO initiation.

To learn more about this study listen to the podcast.

Numerous Population Pharmacokinetic (PopPK) models have been developed for Piperacillin (PIP), most of which are based on small monocentric studies and may not be generalizable to other populations. A recent evaluation of six PIP models in 30 ICU patients receiving CI demonstrated large inter-model variability regarding predictability. The transferability of these results to other populations is uncertain due to the limited number of patients and the monocentric setting. Furthermore, a clinically oriented model assessment in conjunction with TDM (Bayesian forecasting) was lacking.

A recent study aimed to evaluate the predictive performance of available PIP PopPK models with and without TDM using an external multicenter dataset to facilitate model selection for MIPD in critically ill patients. Listen to the podcast and learn more about the methodology and findings of this study.

The concept of a "green ICU" is increasingly important in today's world, as sustainability and environmental considerations become integral to healthcare practices. Hospitals, including ICUs, can have a substantial environmental footprint due to energy consumption, waste generation, and resource use. Implementing green practices reduces this impact and contributes to overall environmental sustainability.

Integrating sustainability into healthcare practices not only benefits the environment but also supports the overall mission of providing high-quality patient care. To learn more about Green ICU implementation listen to the interview with Nicole Hunfeld. 

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the term applied to a spectrum of conditions with different etiologies that share common clinical-pathological characteristics including: increased permeability of the alveolo-capillary membrane, resulting in inflammatory edema; increased non-aerated lung tissue resulting in higher lung elastance (lower compliance); and increased venous admixture and dead space, which result in hypoxemia and hypercapnia.

The new updated ESICM guidelines have been published highlighting a new approach to ARDS in terms of definitions, phenotyping, and respiratory support strategies.

To discuss ARDS from the new guidelines to bedside applied physiology we have interviewed Professor Gattinioni and invite you to follow the conversation in the following podcast.

Sepsis‐associated acute kidney injury (SA‐AKI) is a common, increasingly prevalent problem in the intensive care unit (ICU). The association between sepsis and AKI has been studied previously. However, the lack of a reproducible and standardized consensus definition has limited the interpretability of available knowledge. In order to assess SA-AKI incidence, patient characteristics, timing, trajectory, treatment, and associated outcomes a multicenter, observational study was conducted. In order to know more about the study methodology and findings we have interviewed Dr White. Listen to the interview in the following podcast.

Transportation of critically ill patients is inevitable in most health systems. Prehospital transportation (PHT) may be necessary after a major injury or as a result of a life-threatening illness – for example, myocardial infarction, intracranial haemorrhage, or metabolic coma.

On our ESICM Academy, we offer a course series on Patient Transportation, from the general introduction to conducting interfacility and intrahospital patient transportation and prehospital transport in Critical Care. Hear more from one of the authors in this podcast.

The ESICM Academy is accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME) and offers updated, peer-reviewed, evidence-based training material, free of charge for ESICM members.

Speaker:

Michael J LAURIA. Former Pararescueman in the US Air Force and Critical Care/Flight Paramedic. Currently Emergency Medicine Physician, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center; EMS/Critical Care Fellow, Flight Physician; Associate Medical Director for Lifeguard Air Emergency Services (US).

Intensive care units (ICU) are the most peculiar units in hospitals where the quality and safety of health care delivery should be at the highest level. The most critical patients are treated in this unit, posing all healthcare professionals working there with continuous physical and emotional challenges. 

ICU teams are composed of different profiles with the same goal of satisfying the needs of the patients. Combining each one's skills and abilities to make the best clinical decisions requires healthy multidisciplinary teamwork.

Recent studies show that the ability to work in a team in the ICU results in better patient outcomes and less or better coping with ICU staff burnout.

Learn more about the importance of interprofessional teamwork in the ICU in this podcast with Elena Conoscenti and Andreas Xyrichis.

Speakers:

Andreas XYRICHIS. King's College London (UK).

Elena CONOSCENTI. ISMETT (Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies), Palermo (IT). ESICM Nurses & Allied Healthcare Professionals Committee member.

Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is common after major trauma, affecting up to two-thirds of patients with critical injuries. Post-trauma MODS is associated with a mortality of over 20% and poor long-term outcomes in those who survive. Current management is supportive, and there are no specific pharmacological agents that prevent organ dysfunction.

The TOP-ART randomised clinical trial, a two-stage study, has tested firstly the safety and efficacy of the early artesunate administration on a cohort of severely injured and bleeding trauma patients and, secondly, the outcomes of artesunate administration on trauma patients at risk of developing MODS.

Listen to Joanna Shepherd's interview in the following podcast to learn more about the study's results.

Original article: Safety and efficacy of artesunate treatment in severely injured patients with traumatic haemorrhage. The TOP-ART randomised clinical trial

Speakers:

Joanna SHEPHERD. Centre for Trauma Sciences, The Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London (UK).

Rahul COSTA-PINTO. Austin Hospital, Melbourne (AU). ESICM NEXT Committee Member.

Sepsis is a life-threatening acute organ dysfunction secondary to infection and affects more than 19 million people annually. In 2017, it was estimated that almost 49 million people were infected by sepsis, and half of those cases occurred in children under 5.

In-hospital mortality has declined over the years, resulting in a large number of sepsis survivors. Emerging data suggest that patients who survive sepsis frequently experience new symptoms, long-term disability, and worsening chronic health conditions for which they will seek care from many clinicians.

Elena Conoscenti has interviewed two experts in the field who will explain better what happens in adult and paediatric patients who survived sepsis.

Speakers:

Elsa AFONSO. Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge (UK).

Laura Maria ALBERTO. Universidad del Salvador (AR).

Elena CONOSCENTI. ISMETT (Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies), Palermo (IT). ESICM Nurses & Allied Healthcare Professionals Committee member.